April 2016

The April issue kicks off with a look at the global petrochemical industry, beginning with Euro Petroleum Consultants’ analysis of the European and Russian markets and followed by AspenTech’s discussion of the ethylene sector. April’s big feature is, of course, the annual Sulfur Review, which provides a comprehensive overview of the key technologies available to plant and refinery operations today. This year’s review is introduced by The Sulphur Institute, with an update on the global sulfur market. This issue also boasts features on High Performance Materials, Heat Transfer, Flow Metering, Automation and Desulfurisation, finishing off with 15 facts on natural gas.

Contents

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World News

A precarious petrochemical landscapeLuisa Sykes and Valentin Kotlomin, Euro Petroleum Consultants, look at the mixed fortunes across various segments of the petrochemical industry, and the cautious optimism in Europe and Russia.

Optimistic outlook for olefinsRon Beck, AspenTech, USA, discusses the current state of the global ethylene industry, the advances in ethylene optimisation technology, and what implications these have for the future.

The measure of the meterTim Vogel, Honeywell, Germany, discusses the efficiency and reliability of current flow metering systems, and explains why ultrasonic meters may be the answer to some of the sector's problems.

A little goes a long wayTom Brewer, VEGA Americas, USA, describes how a major hydrocarbon producer improved its process with the implementation of modern instrumentation technology.

Solving process challenges with instrumentationLes Slocombe, ABB Measurement & Analytics Products, UK, looks at some of the key applications in downstream oil and gas, and explains the role that instrumentation can play in helping operators to achieve enhanced performance and production.

Effortless and efficientTony Brayford, Rockwell Automation, UK, describes the deployment of new automation technology at oil and gas test facilities in the Netherlands, and explains how it can be used to help cut down on effort and time required.

Nature at its finestGijs van Heeringen, Bob van de Gender and Jan Klok, Paqell BV, the Netherlands, examine the next generation of bio-desulfurisation that reduces costs and plot space.

A dynamic and developing industryDonald Messick, The Sulphur Institute, USA, discusses the outlook for the sulfur industry in light of oil's turbulent year.

Sulfur ReviewHydrocarbon Engineering provides a comprehensive overview of the key sulfur technologies available to plant and refinery operations.